every village or township through which we passed. It seemed as though we were at last approaching more nearly to the scenes which Eastern tales and fables had led us to expect, but we were scarcely prepared for the lovely sight which soon greeted our eyes. It was near sunset when the train-which for some time had been passing through a sandy, desertlike country--suddenly emerged at a sharp angle from a low range of sand hills; and there, right before us, at a distance perhaps of four or five miles, stood that most beautiful gem of Indian architecture-the "Tâj" of Agra, its pearly whiteness fairly ablaze in the varying hues of the setting sun. It was a glorious sight, one never to be forgotten, and it may readily be imagined that we were not slow to make a closer acquaintance_with_the spot which had so charmed us. The Tâj appears to have been erected, at an enormous cost, during the 17th century, by the Mussulman Emperor, Shah Jehan, as the tomb of his favourite wife. It is said to have occupied 22 years in building, and to have employed 20,000 workmen. It is composed entirely of the purest white marble, the colour adding an indescribable chasteness to the surpassing beauty of its majestic dome and graceful minarets. An idea of its immense proportions may be gained when it is said that it stands nearly 300 feet high; the lower part, or terrace, being over 300 feet long each way. It is ornamented from top to bottom with passages from the Koran, inlaid in coloured marbles; indeed, it is said that the whole of the Koran is thus inscribed on it. Beautiful, however, as is the outside, it is surpassed by the exquisite "finish" of the inner parts. The tomb itself, erected immediately underneath the great dome, is a most wonderful piece of marble carving, beautifully inlaid-as are the walls, and the very floor itself with precious stones. Although of gigantic size, it is as laboriously wrought as would be the finest specimen of jewellery; and the precious stones inlaid in the form of fruits and flowers are so wondrously shaded, that the finest painting could not equal it. In the dome is a wonderful echo, said to be the sweetest in existence. We sang a few notes in harmony, and listened as the sounds ascended, becoming purer as they rose, until all human imperfections seemed eliminated, and it became like angels' music. We were loth to leave so beautiful a place, and visited it again and again to see it in various lights, always changing, and always lovely. But Agra had other claims. The Palace of Akbar the Great, situated inside an almost impregnable fort, is another exceedingly beautiful building; indeed, in its detail work, the carving and inlaying of precious stones, it almost surpasses the Tâj, but it lacks the tout ensemble of that structure. The arrangements of the palace are exceedingly interesting. The deliciously cool baths-richly ornamented—the shady gardens, the recreation courts, and the vast dining halls, show how luxuriously those old Emperors lived, and how sumptuously they fared. Other wonderful buildings and ruins abound in the vicinity of Agra, well repaying a much longer stay than we could give it, for our time was ebbing fast, and we had to push on to Delhi, the furthest point north we reached. And Delhi formed a worthy terminus; indeed, it would seem as though our journey had become more and more interesting as we advanced, until we were now in a place in which months might be spent without exhausting its interest. As it now stands, it is a spacious, strongly fortified city, occupying a site somewhat to the north of its former sites-for Delhi has been rebuilt more than once, as it suited the necessity or the caprice of its rulers in bygone ages. It may readily be imagined, therefore, what a mine of interest exists amongst the countless ruins of former Delhis! Nor is the present city at all behind-hand in attractions. The Palace of Shah Jehan (the builder of the Tâj) is a vast and beautiful structure, very similar to that of Akbar at Agra. The mosques-this being the sacred city of the Mahometan—are here the largest and most beautiful of all, whilst minor objects of interest abound. We visited them all ; and afterwards, driving out of the city by the Cashmere gate, we saw the breach in the walls which General Nicholson's stormers forced at the time of the Mutiny. Passing on, across its last great battle field, we ascended an eminence from which we obtained a splendid view of the city and surrounding country. It is very picturesque, the ancient ruins before referred to giving a charm to it which is unique. We visited many of these beautiful relics of the past, but it must be confessed that so numerous had the objects of interest now become that we were satiated, and often passed by places of the utmost interest because the eyes were too weary to look at them! Our time was now nearly exhausted, and we found it necessary, so as not to risk missing our steamer, to relinquish our idea of stopping at Jeypore, or Baroda, and to pass right through to Bombay; which we did, arriving there after a 50 hours' journey, considerably the worse for wear. Our journey across India, thus soon ended, and thus altogether inadequately sketched, had been of the most intense interest. Peoples, manners, customs, and objects, all entirely new to us had passed before us in rapid succession; filling the mind with new ideas, and the heart with new aspirations. It was with regret we bade good-bye to so wonderful a country, although the journey in such a climate had been a trying one; and our regret was not altogether unmixed with satisfaction when we felt, once more, the free ocean breezes as we stepped on board the P. and O. steamer to proceed again to the south. R. P. I Private Ownership of Land. F you will allow me I should like to reply to some points in the paper of C. H. in the last issue of the Magazine on the above subject. He there states that "all exchangeable value in land is produced by labour," but I think it would be better described as being produced by the requirements of labour. To my mind, the value of labour applied to the land is all the exchangeable value individuals should have in it, and it is to give this only which has occasioned the necessity for the nationalisation of land. Land contains the natural opportunities of all labour; that is, labour cannot operate without land; and this monopoly of opportunities is an important factor in the value of land, is distinct from the value of labour applied to it, and should go to the State for the general benefit of all, who, by the very fact of their existence, help of necessity to produce, and increase it. Monopoly in land contains a value in being able to prevent labour from operating unless it agrees to pay a tax for the privilege, which is called rent, and in this way there is an "exchangeable value" in land before labour can even make a start. This value cannot be said to be the result of labour, which arises simply from the power to prevent the operation of labour; and this value gradually increases in proportion to the increase of the population, as the necessity for land becomes greater. In other words we increase the demand, but not the supply of land. To illustrate further, suppose the present supply of house accommodation could not be increased, the demand caused by increased population would soon raise the price of houses, although each house would only represent the same fixed amount of labour value (the labour of erecting it); and the increased value would be the value of the privilege to live in it, and not the value of additional labour expended on it. In this case there is a first labour value in building, but in the case of land there is no original labour value to be exchanged by individuals, but the value is entirely one of monopoly. The demand for houses could be met by additional labour in building more houses, and increased value from this cause would thus be prevented. The value of land in towns is entirely on account of the monopoly, and not the value of labour invested in it; the ground rent is a tax for the right to occupy, and the rent of a house is interest for the labour expended in the building of the house. I make a distinction between the actual value of labour done, and the value of privilege to labour; the former belongs to the individual, and the latter to the community. C. H. mentions the "unearned increment" in the increased value of a picture, but this certainly is not a parallel case" to the "unearned increment" in land; the former is simply buying and selling at a profit, and the profit is payment to the merchant for his labour as distributor. The original picture value is the painter's labour, genius, skill (call it by whatever name you will) expended in producing it. Besides, more pictures can be painted if there is a demand, or we can live without them; but we cannot live without the land, nor can we produce more if required. In conclusion, I think compensation should be made to the amounts actually paid for the land by the present owners, because in many cases it is the value of labour paid to secure a share of the monopoly. It is the robbery which takes place under the name of "compensation" that makes the word odious to those who are anxious for real and honest reform. But although it is clearly to my mind an unjust and unrighteous thing that a small and privileged class should monopolise, and burden with taxation, that which ought to be the birthright of all, yet I for one should be sorry to see even this unfair monopoly set on one side too suddenly, because the persons who now enjoy it are not responsible for the injustice, and are, by reason of the very circumstances of their easy condition, rendered too weak and feeble to face the battle of life on equal terms with those who are already made strong and vigorous by being inured to labour and hardship. My contention and desire is that a start should be made on lines which, if followed, would gradually and peacefully work out a cure for the difficulty. P.S. Work of the Session. HE ANNUAL CONVERSAZIONE took place in the Town Hall, on Tuesday, December 18, 1883; 326 members and friends present. 340 tickets were sold. Dancing commenced at 8; Supper was served at 10-45; Dancing recommenced at 11-30, and closed at 2-10 a.m. A balance of £37 Is. 3d. was handed over to the Treasurer. The Fifth Meeting of the Session was held on Friday, December 21st, 1883. Present: 33 members. DEBATE: "That the Liturgy of the Church of England does meet the needs of modern worshippers." Speakers: Affirmative, Messrs. R. L. Crosbie, Claddo, and Greening. Negative, Messrs. R. Pardoe, A. B. Biggs, and C. B. Caswell. Voting. Affirmative, 9. Negative, 7. Sixth Meeting-January 18th, 1884. Semi-public. Present: 123 members and friends. DEBATE: "That the higher education of both sexes is being pushed to a greater length than is good for their future happiness and usefulness." Affirmative, Messrs. A. Liddell, J. W. Bond, J. W. Tonks, and W. Summerton. Negative, Messrs. G. Zair, H. S. Pearson, Claddo, and Sedgwick. Voting. Members only, Affirmative, 27. Negative, 16. Members and friends, Affirmative, 41. Negative, 27. Seventh Meeting-February 1st, 1884. Present: 36 members. DEBATE: "That the poems of Sir W. Scott are a more valuable contribution to literature than those of Robert Burns." Speakers: Affirmative, Messrs. Summerton, J. Mason, and J. Suffield. Negative, Messrs. C. F. Gray, B.A., A. Liddell, and Buckley. Voting. Affirmative, 12. Negative, 13. Eighth Meeting-February 15th, 1884. friends. - Present: 142 members and DEBATE: "That the happiness of mankind is not increased by civilisation." Speakers: Affirmative, Messrs. C. Lean, T. Cond H. S. Pearson, Henry Clarke, and A. J. Claddo. Negative, Messrs. Paxton Porter, G. Titterton, F. Taylor, J. Mason, and J. W. Tonks. Voting. Members only, Affirmative, 33. Negative, 22. Members and friends, Affirmative, 62. Negative, 32. |